March 09, 2021
Kate Frese/for PhillyVoice
The Philadelphia 76ers huddle before a home game earlier this season.
The All-Star Game and first half is in the books. Philadelphia will be well-rested when it hits the floor for a mini-road trip to start the second half of the 2021 NBA season — playing the Bulls in Chicago and then the Wizards in Washington before a nice long home-stand in front of fans next week.
But before we turn the page, where does their impressive, but still a bit inconstant showing from the first 36 games of the season have them measuring up?
Despite having the best record in the Eastern Conference, the Nets — who signed Blake Griffin this past week — and the Bucks each are slotted with better odds of making the Finals, according to Unibet:
Eastern Conference Title Odds
| Team | Record | Unibet Odds |
| Nets | 24-13 | +130 |
| Bucks | 22-14 | +300 |
| Sixers | 24-12 | +550 |
| Celtics | 19-17 | +1000 |
| Heat | 19-18 | +1200 |
How do the Sixers weigh in amid the hierarchy of the entire NBA? Here's a look at where they are ranked in various power rankings across the NBA media world (plus their NBA finals odds via Unibet).
NBA Power Rankings
| Outlet | Rank | Teams ahead |
| Inquirer.com | 2nd | BKN |
| ESPN | 3rd | UTA, BKN |
| The Ringer | 3rd | BKN, UTA |
| Bleacher Report | 3rd | BKN, PHX |
| The Athletic | 4th | BKN, PHX, UTA |
| CBS | 5th | UTA, BKN, PHX, LAL |
| NBC Sports | 6th | UTA, BKN, PHX, LAL, MIL |
| NBA.com | 6th | UTA, BKN, LAL, PHX, LAC |
| Unibet odds | 6th | LAL, BKN, LAC, MIL, UTA |
That the Sixers are in the top six across all these rankings is certainly a sign of respect for the team. The Inquirer may be biased, but seeing national outlets like ESPN, The Ringer and BR slotting them in third, behind the Jazz (who they split their two games with) and the Nets (who they also split their two games with) is probably sensible.
It depends on how you power rank, but it also makes a little sense to have Philly behind both Los Angeles teams as well as the Suns — as the Western Conference has six teams with more than 20 wins to the east's three.
According to Tankathon, the Sixers have the sixth easiest schedule remaining in the second half. If they can stay healthy, and perhaps add a reinforcement or two before the trade deadline, it seems reasonable that they will have a chance at securing home court advantage throughout the playoffs with the top seed.
This content and the links provided are sponsored by Unibet, a PhillyVoice.com Betting Odds Partner, independently created by PhillyVoice.
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